Wednesday, 15 April 2015

NURISS: Advanced Skin Care

When it comes to skincare, you have to be careful. Especially since it's so hard to hide when it goes wrong! For that reason my favourite skincare brands are ones that are endorsed by the medical profession and dermatological experts. NURISS, the skincare and wellness centre that you've probably heard being raved about in all of the magazines, has launched a skincare range including a huge range of scientifically proven ingredients to nourish, repair and protect your skin. I've tried two of the products from the range and can't wait to tell you all about them...

NURISS was founded by Dr Anita Sturnham - a GP and skincare expert, who you've probably seen on TV! She's the resident doctor on 'The Alan Titchmarsh Show' and has shared her expertise on Channel 4 show's like 'Embarrassing Bodies'. Dr Anita designed this range not only for home use, but for use in her clinic too! This got me so excited about the products - if they're good enough for use in their prestigious wellness centre, they must be pretty darn good.

The two products that I've been trying are the Fruit Acid Renewal Gel 7.5% and the Alpha Beta Activating Cleanser. Over the past month these have replaced my previous exfoliation, cleanse and tone methods and I've had great results.

Fruit Acid Renewal Gel

'Smoothes dry, damaged & rough skin. Reduces fine lines'

As someone with oily, spot-prone skin I really appreciate the importance of exfoliation! It's important to let your skin 'breathe' by removing any dead skin cells from the top layers - they just dull your complexion and make it easier for oil to build up. Previously, I used a normal mechanical exfoliator (i.e. a cream with exfoliating beads in it), but after trying the Fruit Acid Renewal Gel I would definitely say chemical exfoliators are more effective and, interestingly enough, was a lot more gentle.

The gel is a bit like a watery-serum in consistency and spreads really well over your face. You only need to apply a thin layer, so a little goes a long way. You're told to leave this on for 1 to 3 minutes, depending on your tolerance, before rinsing off with cool water. As someone with sensitive skin, I had a feeling I wouldn't be leaving it on for too long - but amazingly, I reached 3 minutes without any trouble. To begin with you don't feel anything at all, but after a while you start to feel tingling. It's not painful at all - just reassures you that something is happening! The ingredient that is actively exfoliating your skin is Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) which help to dislodge those old skin cells to expose your healthy cells below. Bringing those fresh cells to the surface is what gives you a more bright and radiant complexion and also ensures your other skincare products will actually be able to get into your layers of skin to have an effect.

With my 3rd year medical exams coming up, the stress has definitely been having an effect on my skin - so this was a great time to give this product a go. After my very first use, I could genuinely feel the difference in texture on my neck. The skin was so much smoother and felt a lot softer. This reduction in texture has translated to my face too - especially my forehead and chin, but also on my cheeks. It feels great to have soft, smooth skin. Also, my T-zone doesn't seem to be accumulating as much oil as before, which I think is why I haven't been getting as many spots in these areas. This has made my make-up last a lot longer too - an added bonus. In terms of my complexion, I completely agree with their claim that the gel will help give you radiance - my skin looks a lot more 'alive'! The tops of my cheekbones and undereye regions especially are noticeably brighter.

Alpha Beta Activating Cleanser

'Gentle, deep cleansing. Effective for oily & sensitive skin.'

No skincare routine is complete without a good cleanser and the Alpha Beta Activating Cleanser claims to nourish your skin, whilst also helping to rebalance it. Like I said earlier, I have oily skin so anything that help me keep that under control is a gem in my book.

Looking on the ingredients, I can see that this cleanser contains salicylic acid - which I often look for in my face masks. Salicylic acid is an active ingredient which really sinks into your pores for deep cleansing to help prevent those pesky spots. As well as salicylic acid, it contains lactic acid which acts as a gentle exfoliator, whilst also helping to maintain hydration, and glycolic acid which also helps in exoliation.

The cleanser itself is a light cream which is actually very soothing to the skin as you massage it in. It's perfect for sensitive skin as it feels gentle and I had no adverse reactions, redness etc. It washes off very easily and, amazingly, doesn't leave your skin feel dried out like many cleansers and face washes do. You don't get that uncomfortable tightness either - I didn't have to rush over to my moisturiser as soon as I'd finished cleansing.

I've loved using this on a regular basis because it leaves my skin feeling so fresh and clean. It's a great product to start the day off with because it really brightens up your complexion. My skin has been a lot less problematic lately and, although the Fruit Acid Gel definitely has played a part, the cleanser is the one I use on a daily basis - so there's no denying that it's contributed. I've noticed I've got a lot less blackheads than before - I used to do a pore cleansing strip every week, but haven't done one at all since I started using this cleanser.

I would highly recommend this to anyone with oily, problematic or even just normal skin because it not only cleanses, it exfoliates and revitalises your skin.

Overall, if the rest of the NURISS skincare range are as good as these two then we're definitely on to a winner. These are both so incredibly effective, whilst not wreaking havoc with your skin - in fact, being more gentle than most other skincare products I've used. Definitely have a look at the NURISS website if you're interested in learning a bit more about these or any of the other products.